Political Parties In The United States: Ideologies And Polarization

1. Thinking ahead to the 2020 general elections, discuss the role of political parties both in terms of voters (party-in-the-electorate) and in terms of campaigns (party organization). Who do you think will have the edge in terms of the P-I-E? Who will have the edge in terms of P.O.?
2. Briefly describe the outcome of the Supreme Court case, McCutcheon v. the Federal Election Commission. How do you think this will affect the role of political parties in the U.S. federal election system? Do you think this will strengthen or weaken the parties? Why?
3. Discuss the pros and cons of political party machines. Under what circumstances are machines more likely to develop? Do you think machines are a thing of the past in the U.S.? What about in other countries?
4. Why are some people frustrated with the presidential nominating system? Briefly describe and discuss three possible reforms to this system. Are they realistic possibilities? Would they make things “better”? If yes, how? If no, why not?
5. What are the prospects for an independent candidacy for president in 2020? What would have to occur to make this a real possibility? How might a candidate overcome the barriers, handicaps, and major party strategies?
6. To what extent is the current U.S. political party system polarized? Make sure to define your terms and to extend your analysis to both mass and elite levels.

The Emergence of Political Parties

Political parties emerged originally to be the voice of the people. Since the representation of everybody within a fixed territorial boundary was not feasible, a small group of people decided to control the machinery of the State and work for the welfare of the people. They were considered to be the medium through which the people of the concerned State could fulfill their needs and wants. The need for political parties concretized over the ages and now, their presence is indispensable for the working of the contemporary society. This essay seeks to discuss about the political parties existing within the United States and how their differences in ideologies led to the polarization of the American politics. This essay further analyzes the impact of such polarization of political parties on the American public. It concludes with the significance of polarization and how it affects the society in general – both the masses and the elites. The main purpose of this essay is to look into the effects that led to polarization of the political parties of the United States, the extent of such polarization and how this polarization has affected both the masses and the elites of the American society

The two main political parties existing within the folds of the United States are Democratic Party and Republican Party. The political ideologies of these parties can be classified as that of the conservative and liberal, with the Democratic Party being aligned to the left ideologies while the Republican Party is aligned to the right ideologies. The Republican Party was founded in 1854, with the support of those propounding the elimination of slavery in the world. The platform of this Party changed through the decades and now, the Republican Party follows a conservative ideology. The conservatives take an important standpoint with regards to the economy and the society. Those adhering to the conservative principles believe that the State should follow a ‘minimalist’ approach. It means that the government of the concerned State should not interfere in the economic activities of the State. The presence of the private players ensure a stiff and healthy competition. They are motivated by the interest of earning more profits and the lasses faire character of the State would allow them to carry out their activities. Moreover, the right ideology aligned parties are very conservative in nature. They believe that it is the responsibility and obligation of the State to uphold the values and traditions of the concerned society and that the important customs should be followed unquestionably. This means that the conservatives are strictly against the revolutionizing ideas of abortion, the use of contraception and marriage of people belonging to the same gender.

The Democratic Party was established in 1828, with the support from Andrew Jackson. The Democratic Party is said to the oldest political party of the world. With time and changes in leadership, the Democratic Party underwent drastic modifications. The infusion of new thinking within the folds of the Party is the main reason for the dominant liberal ideology followed by the Party members. Liberal ideology has its genesis in the supporters of the French Revolution. They believe that the governments of the various States should play a more involved role in the economy. The main objective of the private players is the generation of higher revenues and this is only possible by exploiting the poorer vulnerable people. This will only aggravate the crisis of poverty. To prevent this, the liberals claim that it the obligation of the government to ensure that the wealth and resources of the society is equitably distributed amongst those concerned. With respect to society, the liberals or the ‘left wing’ aligned people believe that the government should take concrete measures to promote the healthy benefits of using contraception and allowing for abortion if the life of the mother and/or child is in mortal danger. They also advocate for same sex marriage. In essence, the Liberals try to ensure that fundamental human rights which are the basic rights of all human beings, should be respected and upheld by the governments of the States. It is only with the assurance of such human rights that the individuals of the world will be able to enjoy a dignified and optimum standard of living that they are entitled to.

The Two Main Political Parties in the United States

Other political parties that exist in the United States are the Libertarian party that believes in limited government control over the lives of the people. The Green Party wants a stronger federal government while the Communitarian Party favors the societal needs more than the wants of the individuals. All these political parties, however, have found a shade within the broader perspectives of either liberal ideology or the conservative ideology.

The ideological differences between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party heightened in the beginning of the twenty first century. The partisan antipathy amongst the party members of the two parties became so glaring that many scholars have termed it as ‘polarization of the political parties in the United States’. This is evidenced from the fact that in a poll conducted in 2014, around 27 percent of the Democrats believe that the conservative nature of the Republican Party has an adverse consequence on the American society. On the other hand, nearly 36 percent of the Republicans claim that the liberal notion of the Democratic Party will obstruct the achievement of the well-being of the United States.

One of the major reasons for the increase in polarization of the US political parties is the rise in consistency of the respective ideology. The new generation has a staunch approach to their party ideology and unyieldingly follow them. For instance, in the debate on the right of the women to avail abortion in the case where their lives are threatened, the Conservatives strongly believes that abortion essential means killing of the fetus, which goes against the Christian philosophy of murder. On the other hand, the Liberals claim that it is the right of the parents, especially of the mother to determine whether they want the child. The State must be privy to the personal matters of the human beings where their basic human rights are concerned.

The extent of polarization of the two main political parties in the United States can also be judged from their mutual animosity against each other, simply on the basis of their political ideologies. The animosity is so deep rooted that the American people prefer their family members and close relatives and friends to have the same ideology as they possess. Thus, a Democrat marrying a Republican is highly unlikely. The conservatives even go one step further by having a preference for the type of social structure they live in. They believe living in a homogenous community, that is, amongst people belonging to the same race and ethnicity. The Conservatives are usually very religious people and hence, they like to be around people who share the same religious beliefs. The Liberals are not very particular about their social set up. They are more forthcoming with the people of different races, unlike the Republicans. Thus, they believe in ethnic diversity and takes a strong stand against racial discrimination.

An important area of convergence of the philosophies followed by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party is with regards to the issue of homosexuality. The society of the United States has become relatively amenable to the idea of same sex marriage. In a recent poll that was conducted, it was revealed that around 54 percent of the Republicans has the view that same sex marriage should be allowed in the society and given legal protection. This is a landmark change as even a decade ago, except a minority, the Republicans were strictly against same sex marriage. The Democrats were always in favor of same sex marriage, as, for them, the upholding and respect of the fundamental human rights is the most essential requirement. They claim that all individuals are equal and the State has the utmost obligation to ensure right to life and liberty to its citizens.

The Conservative Ideology of the Republican Party

The particular ideology of the respective parties influences the people of the United States to a great extent. The Republicans attract the older demography because of the importance the party ideology places on values and traditions. The elder people in the American society believe that the only way the superiority of the American culture can be maintained is by glorifying the age old tradition and customs followed by the US society for generations. They claim that since most of the people within the United States are Christians, the morals and values mentioned in the Biblical Scriptures need to respected and followed diligently by the American society. The conservative nature of the Republican Party will thus attract the elder people to vote for the them. On the other hand, the demography that the Democratic Party attracts is usually the youth of the nation. This is so because they are born in the contemporary period and they realize the importance to adapt to the changing times. They do not place so much importance on religious scriptures; instead, they believe that the Government of the United States must uphold the fundamental human rights granted to all human beings. It is these Rights which will ensure the perpetuation of the dignified the standard of living which is the basic right of all individuals. This is precisely the ideology of the Democratic Party and thus, there is a viable chance that the youth of the society will vote for them during the elections.

The polarization of the political parties within the United States has affected the American people to a great extent. The masses are easily influenced by the political ideologies of the respective parties they are attracted to. They act as the most important vehicle by which the agenda of the concerned Party is propagated in the entire society. The elite people of the society, on the other hand, are the ones who pressurize the political parties to follow a particular course of action. The main objective of the elites is to profit motive. Thus, they want to create a suitable environment for success of their businesses. The political parties require huge funds as donations for effective campaigning. These funds are provided by the businesses of the elites. In order to ensure that there is a constant flow of the funds, the political parties yield to the desires of the elites and frame the policies accordingly. Thus, a stark divide is glaringly visible between the masses and the elite level.

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